Winter Solstice 2010 Newsletter

Warm greetings from your Editors, Curtis Lang & Jane Sherry, from Antioch in California's East Bay, where we're getting a solid week of rain, fog and mist, shrouding nearby hills and Mt. Diablo in a pastel haze of super-humid twilight that lasts all day long! We are so happy there will be several feet of snow in the Sierra Nevadas, and the rivers and lakes in our Bay Area will be replenished. And each day now, we watch as our 'golden' hills turn slowly green, new growth sprouting through last seasons' golden grasses on the hills.

Our last newsletter was in September, at the Autumnal Equinox, so if you're surprised to see this in your inbox, here's why! Jane and I have been in Texas.

A couple weeks after the Equinox Jane and I were called to Houston, where my father was in the hospital. He had fallen in his apartment, and it turned out he had also suffered kidney failure.

Jane and I spent five of the last eight weeks in Houston. We had to move Dad from his apartment into a nursing home. He went back into the hospital with complications from Parkinson's Disease, but got out in a few days, and is now in a Hospice program in Houston. It's not appropriate to move him no matter how frustrating it is to have him so far away.

We had some very intense and beautiful times with Philip in Houston, a lot of family healing, and above all we felt honored to share in some of Dad's deep and unexpected spiritual experiences, including a near-death out-of-body experience that left Philip profoundly moved.

We had 12 hour days interacting with health care administrators, doctors, nursing staff, therapists and more! Philip's health care team is huge. To navigate the health care legal maze, and set up physician's directives and other paperwork defining some of Dad's preferences for treatment and end-of-life medical care, we had to get help from an old and dear friend, who is an attorney and Professor of Medical Ethics at the University of Houston. This stuff IS rocket science!

Jane and I were also amazed by the level of compassion and physical stamina exhibited by the nursing staff at the Bayou Manor retirement home, where Philip has lived for many years.

We are left pondering the end of an era, for our family.

As we look back on this year of intense personal change, which began with a move from New York to California just before last spring, we recall the heart-felt agony triggered by the Deepwater Horizon disaster, apocalyptic fires in Russia, the floods in Pakistan, the cholera crisis in Haiti, the periodic panics in global financial markets, the riots in Athens, Paris, Rome and London, the TSA groping scandals, and the sky-high unemployment rate in America.

It also feels like the end of an era for America. America is becoming an increasingly class-conscious, socially stratified country. Educational opportunities, medical insurance, good jobs, and career security are simply not available unless you have a trust fund, a lucky star, and/or a Rolodex of killer connections. America is increasingly despised by the rest of the world because we are engaged in notone but three major Imperial wars of aggression -- in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

And America is not winning any of these battles.

Nor have Americans offered the world a convincing and uplifting moral purpose for these wars, which are clearly designed to dissect major nation-states in strategic locations in the Middle East and Central Asia, allowing American interests easy access to the increasingly valuable fossil fuel and mineral resources in these key regions of the world.

Nor is America meeting its own very quiet objectives in these battlefields. In Iraq, the government is making deals to provide Russia and China with access to oil and gas and doing pipeline deals with Washington's rivals. The President of Afghanistan has told the Americans he wants them to leave and is flirting with Russia's strongman, Vladimir Putin. In Pakistan, the Americans are in danger of being sucked into a war with a nuclear armed country with a million men in uniform. The objectives there are unclear -- and the scope of the mission is creeping, and expanding exponentially, as the engineers like to say.

It feels like the end of an era for industrial civilization in general. It feels more and more like the Dark Ages. Robber barons controlling vast trans-national corporations have superseded governmental authorities as the starring actors on the global stage, defining what is acceptable policy and what is not by the power of the money they pour into political parties in every country of the world.

The industrial democracies of the world are run by a political and intellectual elite that is more comfortable with back-room deals and corporate sponsors than with people who do productive work for a living. These elites naturally see their mission to be running government on behalf of the corporations that fund their party.

They abhor the threat posed by an unruly populace that would use the power of government to provide medical care, education and social benefits to the people, to protect the environment, and to curtail the predatory activities of the financial Robber Barons whose deregulated experimentation resulted in the collapse of the global financial system, which has been bailed out with virtually unlimited US tax dollars.

Some heterodox political thinkers have suggested that in fact America's government agencies and institutions, from the President and the Congress on down, have, since 9/11, become more and more contemptuous of the civil and constitutional rights of American citizens, and of international law, especially concerning the morality of the use of torture and widespread assassination programs in countries around the world.

In "The Doomsday Project: Creating a State of Perpetual Emergency", Professor Peter Dale Scott argues the case for democracy and reveals the key players behind America's anti-democratic behavior in recent years. Scott argues that, for the last 30 years the Federal government has implemented "The Doomsday Project": secret plans to suspend civil liberties in a state of emergency in America. 9/11 triggered the formation of a "shadow government" utilizing elements of these "emergency plans". The agenda? Erosion of civil liberties, suspension of constitutional protections, militarization of local police, and creation of a "soft" surveillance state where citizens live in a state of Perpetual Emergency and War Everlasting.

So we have a modern recipe for the Dark Ages -- Robber Barons, oppressed peasants, corrupt and warlike Ministers and Bishops, and disasters and plagues loose across the world.

The largest environmental catastrophe in world history took place in the Gulf of Mexico this year and the world's governments have done nothing to halt deepwater oil drilling.

Far from it. In fact the incoming Tea Party Republican Congress is full of members who believe that global warming is a hoax and the EPA should be abolished, along with all onerous environmental regulations that impede the unfettered expansion of commerce that is so essential for economic recovery.

Professor Scott also offers up a new poem that addresses the deep current of frustration, anger and anxiety that has gripped large segments of the American public, fearful of their own government, trapped in the grip of greedy financiers and global corporations who rip them off at every turn. The poem is entitled Ode To the Tea Party Patriots.

Professor Scott provides some very important information about the origins of the Tea Party in his lovely poem. We shall hear much more about the Tea Party in 2011 and 2012.

It's as if this "Year of the Iron Tiger" was one long test of our ability to process too much information about too many crises happening simultaneously while we multitasked wildly, performing miracles of spontaneous transformation while encountering unexpected and challenging personal and family psycho-dramas fueled by a combustible mixture of anxiety, fear and nervous exhaustion that permeated the collective consciousness and indeed defined the "Zeitgeist" or "World-Spirit" of the year 2010.

So looking backward, the rear view mirror may display a series of spectacular, scary episodes, but 2011 promises some respite from the trials of 2010. Next year, in the Chinese calendar is the year of the Metal Rabbit, and Rabbits are known for their diplomacy, sensitivity, a great sense of style, and, of course, a sense of exuberant sensuality. All these will be welcome currents of energy flowing into manifestation in the coming year.

In the meantime, Jane and I are entering into a meditation week following Christmas and we are going to take the time to recharge, reconnect with Higher Purpose and envision a Golden Glow around every single day in the coming year of 2011!

This Tuesday, December 21, is the Winter Solstice, concurrent with a Lunar Eclipse during the Full Moon in Gemini. This Cosmic Coincidence signifies a Turning Point in personal and global affairs, a time when fear yields to gratitude, anger yields to understanding, and greed gives way before a cresting wave of compassion. An Eclipse is by definition an open door into Spiritual worlds, which is why many many Wisdom Teachers advise students to protect themselves energetically during such times.

This week a Door opens in the sky, as the Moon bends tides upon the Earth, and great portents of the rise and fall of nations and kings are written in the stars at that time. And then the Winter Solstice opens a window into our own potential futures, as we experience the end of a seasonal round, and the promise of a New Year to come begins to filter into consciousness, during meditation, following prayer, as we receive Spiritual Guidance concerning the pathways opening to us and our dharma in days soon to com.

The Winter Solstice also opens a much more important doorway, the doorway to the inner chamber of the heart where Christ Consciousness lives, which remains inaccessible to our conscious minds the vast majority of the time. Using the techniques offered by the Wisdom Schools of the West, we can enter that chamber most easily at the time of year between the Solstice and Christmas. With that in mind, we offer historical background, Western Wisdom school teachings, and specific techniques to facilitate the Ascension process during this sacred time of year.

The Archangel Gabriel presides over the Winter season and takes up his position as mediator between Spirit and World this Tuesday on the Winter Solstice.

Read this month's Cosmic Weather Forecast, entitled Winter Solstice 2010: The Gabriel Initiation on our website now! You'll find a beautiful meditation and visualization designed to help you work with Archangel Gabriel at this crucial seasonal pivot point. In the Western Mystery School Tradition, the Winter Solstice is traditionally the time when the initiate strives most intensely to attain the Gabriel initiation, which comprises the inner nativity, the birth of the Higher Mind and the Higher Self, the moment when the Inner Christ manifests to us offering us at least a transitory glimpse of Higher Worlds.

This month we are delighted to bring you some clear-eyed, far-sighted forecasts for 2011 from two of Satya Center's favorite astrologers, Adrian Duncan, and Malvin Artley.

You can see Adrian's daily, weekly, monthly and yearly horoscopes each day on our website on the homepage, (check the WOW horoscope module) and if you like what you see, try one of their personalized horoscopes at the World of Wisdom website.

I hope you like the story I wrote about the true history of Christmas. It's called: A Christmas Story. In this article, I discuss the birth of Christ from the point of view of the Mystery Schools, and then I offer you a bit of wisdom from the Western Mystery School teachings that can be very helpful in preparation for the meditation offered above in The Gabriel Initiation. I explain a true secret teaching that can super-charge your Christmas spiritual practice. There is a simple way to reconnect with the Christ within us, and to true Christmas Spirit. That is through connecting to the Divine Mother. We can connect with Mary through a contemplation of the spiritual powers inherent in nature, and through Mary we will connect with the Holy Spirit.

And that wraps up this month's newsletter.

No matter what your spiritual practice, your religion, or your belief system we wish you every blessing, abundance, joy, and success in your spiritual practice this Winter season. We hope you will take some time for yourselves to just be quiet, go inward, enjoy Nature & be Grateful for the Blessings of your life, including the hard ones which help us to become more ourselves.

PS: It's the season for giving. If you'd like to find a charity where you can be sure of where your dollars are going to do good works, try sending in funds to two of our favorite people, who do great works with small non profits. One is Margaret Trost's What If? Foundation, which has slowly & quietly been bringing meals, education & summer camps to impoverished children & their elders in Haiti in collaboration with the St. Clare's community in Port-au-Prince. Each week they serve 15,000 meals at their food program, which is double what it was before the hurricane hit. 200 children attend schools with scholarships provided by Margaret's foundation work. 520 boys & girls attended the 8th annual summer camp & 100 children are enrolled in after school programs because of the donations to this wonderful grass roots foundation. Contact Margaret to send in your tax free donation now! Every cent helps! And of course, you can read about Margaret's good works with her foundation over the years at Satya Center to learn how this generous & loving work began & continued through one disaster after another for the overwhelmed & burdened Haitian people.

Another important charity you may find of interest & worthy of your tax-deductible donation is one set up by Starhawk, visionary activist, who teaches Permaculture to inner city youth & adults in the Bay Area of California. You can read more about Star's work in teaching folks how to care for the land, so that we can live a healthy life at her website. If you donate now in the next two weeks, she can match your donation with a matching grant fund up to $5000. Check out her Earth Activist Trainings on her website or donate directly online. And of course, you can read many of Starhawk's articles at our website here at Satya Center.

(Curtis & Jane after hiking up near the top of Mt. Shasta in California. Labyrinth at top of page is from the parking area at Mt. Shasta)

LIBRARY SEARCH

OUR BOOKS

For the first time ever, ONLY at Satya Center: FREE newly updated chapters from Marcel Vogel’s how-to book on crystal healing. How to pick a Vogel wand and how to use a Vogel wand in healing and meditation.

New FREE E-book! Discover the origins of Lemurian Seed Crystals. See pictures of the Lemurian mines in Brazil. Discover how spiritual teachers of the East and West have used crystals, minerals and gemstones in spiritual practices, meditation, and healing for thousands of years.

FREE E-book. Cultivating love in our lives. How to achieve loving family relations and friendships, balanced love relationships and a loving relationship with spiritual worlds. How to enjoy healthy self-love. How to find and recognize your soulmate. How to maintain loving partnerships. How to unite with the Divine through meditation, prayer, loving contemplation and selfless service to humanity.

OUR AUTHORS

Computer programmer Ace Hoffman’s blog on the hazards of nuclear power receives tens of millions of hits yearly. Ace’s book THE CODE KILLERS is an expose of the nuclear power industry. Free download, too!

Betsy Cashen studied nutrition at Cornell University and has been a practicing dietitian since 1986. She was co-manager of a biodynamic farm for several years. She lives in Claverack, NY. If you want to send her a message, use the Satya Center contact us form.

Curtis is the co-owner and Editor of Satya Center. Curtis has been a publisher, editor and investigative journalist for 30 years, at WORTH magazine, Ameritrade, The Village Voice, The Nation, Mother Jones and many other publications. Curtis is a certified past-life regression therapist and a Reiki Master.

Dennis Klocek is Director of the Consciousness Studies Program at Rudolf Steiner College in Sacramento, CA. Dennis is author of Seeking Spirit Vision, Drawing from the Book of Nature, Weather and Cosmos, and A Bio-Dynamic Book of Moons.

Dr. Marina Angeli is a psychiatrist in private practice in Athens, Greece. She is a graduate of the Flower Essence Society Practitioner Training and Certification Program. For more information, write to Dr. Angeli.

Jane Sherry is co-owner and Artistic Director of Satya Center. Jane is a fine artist with work in the Getty Museum, the New York Public Library, major Ivy League universities, and many private collections. Jane is also a poet, a biodynamic gardener, a Reiki Master, and a certified past life regression therapist.

Jed A. Myers is a Seattle poet and musician whose writing has been published in various journals. His loose network of collaborators, ArtsforHearts, puts on benefits in local spaces for a wide range of real life causes.

Julia Brayshaw lives in Olympia, Washington where she maintains a private pratice in psychotherapy. She is a Flower Essence Society certified practitioner. Julia can be reached by contacting the Flower Essence Society.

Linde Farmer R.N. is a Wellness nurse who has written for LILIPOH Magazine. LILIPOH is a quarterly magazine exploring Rudolf Steiner's anthroposophical approach to nutrition, health, farming, education, spirituality and the environment.

Marcel Vogel one of America’s most prominent late Twentieth Century spiritual scientists. Marcel Vogel worked for IBM for many years, and is credited with creating the famous “Vogel healing wands” made of quartz crystal which are so popular around the world today. Visit our Vogel archive, with many of Marcel’s writings.

Mirabai Starr is the author of highly acclaimed new translations of the writings of St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross. She teaches philosophy and world religions at the University of New Mexico.

Peter Dale Scott, a former Canadian diplomat and English Professor at the UC Berkeley, is a poet, writer, and researcher. His books include The War Conspiracy, The Iran-Contra Connection, Cocaine Politics: Drugs, Armies, and the CIA in Central America, and Drugs Oil and War.

Phillip Lindsay has been a student and teacher of the Ageless Wisdom and Esoteric Astrology for over 25 years, and is the author of several books on the subject. See Philip’s website, The Esoteric Astrologer.

Rene received an M.D. from the University of Havana. He has coordinated many research and development projects in Homeopathy, including the Homeopathy Hospital Project. Rene has also taught workshops on Homeopathy in Cuba and Guatemala.

Ross Rentea, M.D. has been in Chicago since 1983, practicing as an anthroposophical doctor together with Andrea, his wife, at their clinic, the Paulina Medical Clinic. Visit their new website, TrueBotanica.com.

Rupert Sheldrake is a biologist and author. His most recent book is The Sense of Being Stared At, And Other Aspects of the Extended Mind. His book Seven Experiments that Could Change the World was voted Book of the Year by the British Institute for Social Inventions.

Starhawk, a San Francisco writer, is committed to the marriage of spiritual work and political activism. She is the author of The Spiral Dance, The Pagan Book of Living and Dying, and other works of nonfiction and fiction.

While Trish Mooney worked as a dance and movement instructor she discovered she could see auras and energy. She became a Flower Essence Society Certified Practitioner after attending the 1999 FES Practitioner Training Program. Contact Trish.

Walter Wink was Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Auburn Theological Seminary in New York City. Among his various books are The Human Being, Peace Is The Way, and The Bible in Human Transformation. Visit Walter's page at Amazon.com.